South African Airways Launches Daily Flights to Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways is now able to offer enhanced access to and from South Africa following the launch by codeshare partner, South African Airways (SAA), of a new daily service between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.

The new service has been introduced as part of an expansion of the strategic partnership between the two airlines, and complements Etihad Airways’ existing daily service from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg.

As a result, South African Airways’ passengers travelling from Africa can access up to 35 new codeshare destinations, pending regulatory approval, with connections through Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to key destinations in Australia, the GCC, Europe, North and South East Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent.

Etihad Airways’ passengers will benefit from enhanced access to Africa on South African Airways’ new service from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg, and subject to regulatory approval, onwards to 17 codeshare destinations across South African Airways’ network in Africa.

In addition to the network benefits of the partnership, the airlines will also work closely together to achieve a range of synergies where opportunities exist to generate new revenue streams and drive cost savings. Examples of this include reciprocity across their respective loyalty programs, sharing lounge facilities, and reviewing the airlines cargo operations, training and procurement.

Nico Bezuidenhout, South African Airways Acting Chief Executive Officer, said, “The introduction of an SAA frequency between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi through our codeshare and extended relationship with Etihad Airways will not only benefit passengers in terms of greater connectivity, particularly in the South East Asia region, but also provide Etihad Airways’ guests with greater access to the African continent through our extensive African network.”

The new South African Airways service is operated by a two-cabin Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured to carry 36 passengers in Business Class and 186 in Economy Class.